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Dine

Cuisines mingle at island oasis

Tastes from the Caribbean meet the flavors of France at Chateau Prive at St. Bart's Island House.

By John Bancroft, Special to the Times
Published January 18, 2007

Klaudio Curaj prepares a table on the patio where diners can enjoy their meals in a relaxing atmosphere.
	[Times photo: Justin Cook]

ADVERTISEMENT [Times photo: Justin Cook] Iron-skillet seared lump blue crab cakes with a fiery roasted green chili puree and tangy caper lemon remoulade is one of the starters at Chateau Prive at St. Bart's Island House in Tampa.

TAMPA

The proprietors of Chateau Prive at St. Bart's Island House lack neither ambition nor confidence.

Two short blocks up South Howard Avenue from Bayshore Boulevard, in a space that has housed a parade of restaurants over the years, owners (since January 2006) Philip Glassman and Scott Freyre have created a comfortable home for that oh-so-au-courant style of cooking called French-Caribbean fusion. Executive chef Tony Bruno takes the challenge seriously, marrying fresh fish, rich meats and tropical fruits with such icons of French cookery as truffles and duck confit.

These dishes are largely successful, the service earnest, the ambience agreeable, and the prices on the high side, putting Chateau Prive in the special occasion or expense account class for many of us.

On one recent visit, starters drew mixed reviews. A whole, firm, tart green tomato, scooped out, coated in panko crumbs and fried, then stuffed with baby field greens in a cool creamy buttermilk dressing, was an unqualified hit. Escargots en croute was less successful. Puff pastry was formed into a sort of doughy burrito to encase herbed goat cheese, which overwhelmed the snails that should have been the stars of this dish.

Starters on a second visit were more evenly matched.

A Caribbean lobster spring roll in a rice paper wrapper accented tasty tidbits of shellfish with the crunch of raw jicama, the sharp green tastes of asparagus and lemon basil, and the sweetness of papaya. Bahamian conch and shrimp fritters were a winning hybrid of chiffon and sponge cake, with the shellfish ground fine to match, yielding a refined and satisfying version of a bar favorite. The toasted cumin, lemon and garlic aioli dipping sauce was just right, too.

That first visit, on which we sat inside in a room decorated with botanical prints and seascapes and enlivened by floor-to-ceiling windows looking into a subtropical garden outside, displayed a bit of a split personality in the main dishes as well as the appetizers.

A special of the day was the winner: an impeccably fresh, skin-on, perfectly cooked redfish in a subtle blend of honey mustard, miso and ginger. Jasmine rice and a little salad of fresh pea shoots finished the dish with aplomb. The plank-roasted wild Alaskan king salmon boasted a lovely horseradish and molasses lacquer crust, but the fish inside was dry at the edges and lacked the robust nutty flavor I associate with wild-caught salmon.

A harpist played that Saturday evening, too. Her music was lovely, but an electric bass thump vibrating the wall separating the dining room from the bar next door was distracting.

A week later, sitting on the pleasant patio outside the bar, we were soothed by the sound of falling water in the splash pool behind us and bathed in a balmy January breeze. Ah, Florida.

My glass of Chandon pinot meunier, a wine I hadn't tasted before but will now be at pains to find at my local retailer, paired perfectly with a richly flavored (and marbled) ribeye steak crusted in pink peppercorns and bathed in a swoony smoky butter flavored with roasted poblano peppers. Sides of creamy celery root puree and popping fresh mixed organic vegetables were well chosen.

A Chalone pinot noir complemented duck Perigueux, a dish presumably named for the capital of France's Dordogne, a region justly famed for its truffles. Indeed, a bit of the black variety of the fearfully expensive tuber was a key component of the sauce for this duck, which contrasted sweet slices of breast cooked medium rare with a dark, rich confit of the leg, another specialty of Dordogne. Roasted fingerling potatoes and wilted greens shared the plate. The result? An earthy, savory, heartwarming triumph.

The last word here, after kudos for the thoughtfully constructed wine by the glass list, is dessert, especially the impossibly light banana bread pudding topped with succulent papaya and paired with bracing bourbon toffee praline ice cream.

"Sort of like fruitcake," my dinner companion observed, "but actually good."

John Bancroft is a freelance writer based in Bradenton. Until a replacement for Chris Sherman is named, Weekend features guest critics.

Review

Chateau Prive at St. Bart's Island House

1502 S Howard Ave., Tampa

Phone: (813) 251-0367

Hours: 5:30 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and until 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday, with a jazz brunch from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Details: Smoking on patio only; wheelchair accessible via a side entrance; major credit cards accepted.

Prices: Appetizers and small plates, $8.95 to $15.95; main dishes, $19.95 to $59.95; desserts, $7.95 to $9.95.

[Last modified January 17, 2007, 07:14:52]